Insanity Brink
by Lee Ri-Rin
Summary: After Hiei passed over to the realm of the dead, Yuusuke and Kurama are in search of Hiei's murderer...
1. 00 : The Cause

This story was originally a one-shot death fic with no intention of it ever to become a full-blown story. As I re-read it not too long ago, I felt ashame I stopped it at that. I added on, made corrections that were needed (which were a lot) and I felt the need to repost it. I'm kind of attached to this thing.

My updates won't be as often as some of you might like so please, deal. You'll have to understand, I'm a graduating senior with a lot of things to do. I'll be writing the next chapter ASAP and post it when I can get around to it.

_Original : April 15, 2004  
Revised: March 05, 2006_

All rights belong to Yoshihiro Togashi who's the creator of Yu Yu Hakusho.

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**Insanity Brink  
**_Tori Hiei_

"_I'd rather die  
Than to be like you"  
KuBiX – Trip _

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_**T**_he world spun around and it made a black-haired man's head felt like it was meeting a metal device that was beating him upside the head repeatedly. It felt like he was being smothered in pain which then sent shock waves to his brain. He had to regain control on himself, tears illuminated weakness and that- was something ever demon learned earlier in their lives. He was determined, he had to push back ever ounce of pain that shocked his body like an electric cord hooked up to a 600 volt battery. 

_Laughter..._ Was it laughter? Hiei didn't know—he couldn't tell. Whatever it was pulsed through his brain, like an earthquake of sound waves which then bounced around in his cranium for a while. It was mocking him- nothing mocked him, ever; however, the spinning sensation began to quicken, worsen as if the world was no longer going around the sun in its normal speed but more like the world was spinning toward the sun and there wasn't a damn thing that could make it stop. The major problem of this: He couldn't think clearly.

He felt something cold touching his skin; something that wasn't unfamiliar to him. His reflexes were trying to back away from the blade; which was now penetrating his skin and trailing down toward his abdominal area. His vision and his mind were fuzzy but that didn't stop him for registering that this feeling was someone trying to gut him. He for damn sure that this wasn't what he was barging for. The now warm blade trailed up to his neck and now he was able to see who this maniac was.

"Surprised Hiei?" The man mocked at him. Hiei could only guess what that meant. His brain was trying to solve this jigsaw puzzle that he had apparently found himself in and the outcome kept looking grimmer than the last. His thought were becoming such an enigma that demon was beginning to give up on thinking all together. He knew he couldn't, he had to remain conscious to remain alive and to find a way of getting out of there.

His unfocused glare met with the sick bastard who was holding him here. If he was able to make out the features of this fucker, he promised that this fucker would be dead once he was able to think clearly. Unfortunately for Hiei, he was long past feeling the wounds that made home on his body, which also means; any new wounds would only join the current pain that made home in his mind.

Colours were always something that the demons never truly understand. Colours were made up so one thing would stand out better against something contrasting it. Like orange contrasted against blue—that was the only thing that colours were remotely good for. And right now, there were colours that embraced his vision to the point were his eyeballs felt like jumping out of their sockets and do the mariachi. Red, black and blue. A giant bruise.

"Ah…Hiei…we'k?" That damned voice said in its empty mockery. Something that Hiei finally noticed- somewhat he was thankful for. He was becoming more aware. "Yukina's gonna be alright with us. She'll be away from a monster like you." That fucking laughter emerged again. Something he didn't want to hear since it echoed off the walls and caused his pain induced migraine to pulse with intensity. Son of a bitch had to mention Yukina—the fucker was going to die- he vowed. Minus the fact that this was the first real sentence that he was able to understand in days.

Grinding his teeth in pain, he lifted his head up barely to be engulfed with a wave of nausea. "Leave her alone." He spat out though barely a whisper. He didn't want to admit how weak he actually felt let alone what will happen to him if he actually admitted it.

Some more of that fucking laughter emerged for the other's voice. "Tough brother will risk his life for some girl who doesn't know who he is." Some more of that annoying laugher. Hiei vowed to slit this guy's throat if he survived this. "How romantic." The other's voice sneered. "I think I should give you another dose."

Whatever this stuff was, made Hiei's senses go off like a fire alarm detecting smoke for the first time. His body screamed as if trying to reject the shit that invaded his veins. Yet, he was not unable to feel the needle piercing his skin nor was he able to stop his body for spasms that responded to whatever they put in his body. There was one thought that ran quickly through his mind—he was dying.

"Yukina. Evil. Dead. Friends." He tried to remain conscious but soon found the fight unless. He was slipping back into the catatonic state; however, was it for the better or the worst he didn't know. He body refused to move and his mind had just been fatigued with unbelievable pain. What really made his heart pound was the no matter how much he tried to piece words together—nothing came.

He was slipping... Piece by piece... Inch by inch.

Hiei couldn't help it anymore. The pain was so suffocating that he had to laugh. His laughter wasn't one of a joy man who witnessed his wife giving birth nor was it of a grieving man who found his daughter had died. No, this was one of those insane laughs that someone would laugh about when he just slit someone's throat or someone who took joy in molesting little girls. This was laugh of a mad-man.

His blurred vision soon found themselves on his current foe. The one who would watch him die-- "Everything will fall apart." Hiei said in no more than a morbid whisper.

A snort emerged from the other man but Hiei could barely register it as such. "Bullshit."

A small smug smirk emerged on the demon's now ghostly gray skin. "No..." Hiei recited like he read it for somewhere he was announcing it to the whole class. The horrid white-haze was trying to take a hold of vision and no matter how much he fought against it, it was winning.

As a new sort of pain rocketed through his small frame, like a lighting strike on a metal rod, each breathe was forced—his lungs felt like they were to collapse at any minute. He felt them sticking together as if glue had found its way in his lungs and someone was trying to make a paper project of them—he was suffocating. His system was beginning to shut down, his heartbeat was rapidly lowering and his breathing became so nonrhythmic that he was sure he wouldn't make it out of here alive. He knew that this fucker was enjoying the show, probably had that ningen popcorn and was watching him die like it was some movie. In every second, that fucker's laughter kept reaching his ears until it faded into an abyss of darkness...

_'I wonder what hell is like.' _

The white haze was soon engulf with an overcoming darkness that even then turned into a colour so dull, that it made him feel sick to be overcome by it. He idly wished his friends were here, or nearby but they weren't. They weren't aware that he was dying and that he was stuck in a prison of pain.

He felt his body shook as his last breath drew near; he was barely conscious to realize that it was just that, the poison had won. His last thoughts that ran past were of Yukina smiling.

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_"Death is only the beginning..."_


	2. 01 : Reverberation

**_Author's Note: _**ohayou gozaimasu konnichi wa komban wa oyasumi nasai minna—welcome to the long awaited for chapter 2 of Insanity Brink. I know it took a while and I am six months behind my self-appointed deadline but in duration my computer crashed twice thus deleting my two previous attempts at this chapter. I know, how sad. Learning from my mistake, I ended up saving all my stories on desk. Yay!

I want to thank everyone who added me to their favourite stories, author alerts, and your awesome reviews. I'm not afraid of criticism so don't be afraid to lend some out if you think I need some. After all—criticism only gets us better, right?

I also wanted to add that this chapter was supposed to be longer but I figured that I'd save some important details for the next. I also think the next chapter will be sooner than this one was so—celebrate.

**_Disclaimer: _**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, the manga and anime is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I only own three characters and they don't appear until later.

**_Warning:_** This story is rated **M** for mature audiences, you have been warned. I wanted to added that this story can become a little intense at times so please—pretty please—**_be prepared for graphic scenes of violence, gore, language and sex. _**If you are too young or think you're not mature enough to handle this: don't read. I'm almost sure anyone reading the second chapter should already know that. I don't want to be reliable for _anything._

Also **M** is equivalent to **R**—the sex scenes are going to be similar to an R movie. There will be no graphic erotic scenes—that's what porn is for_. If you want to read porn, go to adult fanfiction, not here._

_Chapter information_

_chapter began: 2006-10-18  
__chapter ended: 2006-11-09

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_

**Insanity Brink  
**_Tori Hiei_

_**Reverberation

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**_

It felt like a typical autumn day; the rain was falling and the irritating humid breeze from the Indian Ocean was pushing its way up from the streets below up to the balcony where a man stood smoking a cigarette. Heaving out a sigh—the man flicked the ashes off the balcony and soon rested his head on the painted brick wall that covered the still visible graffiti.

The glass door opened to allow the man's company to join him in his smoke-fest of fun. Taking another drag while opening one eye to take a view of his guest—Yusuke Urameshi was sure this had to be damn well important to come all the way to Tokyo to discuss whatever the hell was going on with Kurama—the legendary fox thief. "So fox, what's the deal?"

A soft chuckle reached Yusuke's ear but before he could question what was so damn funny, Kurama began to speak. "Yukina and Kuwabara are expecting.."

"And that's important enough for me to get my ass out of _Makai_ _because_..."

A heavy sigh escaped out of Kurama's lips and his hand went for his hair to tuck the vibrate red mass behind his ear. Though his hair barely reached his shoulders, it was still long enough to mistake the man as a woman sometimes. "Hiei is missing."

The nerves of the _Toushin_ was running thin. Hiei always disappears when he doesn't want to be found. Out of everybody, the fox should've known that. Now this is Yusuke's turn to snort. "And this is news _because_..."

"He left his sword behind." Kurama's answer was not a second off from Yusuke's own statement.

This was _Toushin_'s turn to look at Kurama as though the man had suddenly grown two evil heads and one was about to bite his own arm off. As much as Yusuke would've loved to admit that Hiei would leave the sword behind for a minute—well—it just never came a moment that the hybrid would leave behind that damn sword. Not even to go to his sister's birthday party. Not a single event came to him. A little question now was begging to be asked. If Kurama called him here just days before his actual arrival, then how long had the fire-demon been missing for? Something out of habit, the Toushin's hand went for another cigarette and the other went for the lighter. An intake of breath and a long exhale, Yusuke finally asked, "How long has the shrimp been missing?"

The answer, however; was not something Yusuke had been expecting. "Six months."

"Six months?" The Demon Lord was baffled. It was as if Murphy's law came to bite him in ass Whatever happened to the whole 'search for the missing persons' aspect of—well—everything. "Why hadn't anybody tried _telling_ me this?"

A jaded look from Kurama's brilliant yet surreptitious green eyes; his voice finally spoke but this time it seemed detached for the usual calm. "It is normal for Hiei to be gone for months but," Another look was shot toward the Toushin. "it is not normal for Yukina to feel empty."

Yusuke just stared at Kurama. "You lost me. What do you mean Yukina feels empty?" A moment of silence and then the idea finally struck the Toushin. "What the fuck is going on Kurama?" Now for sure, the Toushin was sure that Kurama was hiding something for him and the Demon Lord did _not_ like it in the least—especially when the fox was dropping hints to say that the short yet deadly HiYoukai was dead didn't lift his mood in the slightest. Actually, it was dropping into danger point.

The red-headed man' well guarded eyes finally let the wall down and let the emotions play through like a whirlpool of souls. His eyes only made the Demon Lord's assumption correct. "Botan said one of the other Ferry girls was to bring a soul of a demon to Reikai only to come back empty handed. No one knows where that soul is nor do they know who he was—"

"—Except that reaper." Kurama's head nodded in agreement and looked at the Toushin with watchful eyes as the demon lord threw another cigarette butt off the balcony and saw his hand go into his pocket and brought out a compact that Koenma—the Junior God of_ Reikai_—gave them to communicate between the two worlds. A chuckle emitted from Kurama's lips as Yusuke flipped the top open to revile a screen with a demi-god on it. "Oi! Short-stuff, I need to talk to you."

Koenma looked surprised at the sight of both Kurama and Yusuke through the screen—papers were threw askew due to his sudden frightfulness. "Yusuke! What are you doing?" The demi-god asked accusingly. "You should be in _Makai_!"

"Yea yea, tell me what you know about the missing souls." Never wasting time, the raven-haired man just went straight to the chase. Kurama thought it was good that some things never changed.

Koenma on the other hand looked nothing more than wanting so go and disappear to some faraway place. "I—I—Yusuke! How did you—Is Youko there?" If being attention deficient was part of Koenma's nature, Kurama thought it'd be best to put him on some kind of anti-psychosis pill for a while to test some experimental drugs out on the market.

"Yes, I am here Koenma-sama." The vibrant red-headed man said with elegance. His green eyes didn't bother to hide the laughter that ran across them as the Demi-God's face lite up just a few notches. The Fox Demon figured that the Demi-God was afraid the the Demon Lord had found out through some demons in the _Makai_.

It was almost a minute before the Junior God of the Spirit World spoke again. "Good—I know you're not done with probation yet and Yusuke," He said while looking at the Toushin with studying eyes. "welcome back to the job. I'm going to send Botan soon."

The connection was cut off and Yusuke's voice rang through the last bit of feed: "Fuck." It was good to know that most of the _Reikai Tantei_ were coming back.

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**_Glossary:_**

_HiYoukai:_ hi means fire and youkai means demon. Fire-demon is the definition of that one.

_Makai: _Hell (literally: the world of spirits)

_Reikai: _The Spiritual World.

_Toushin: _The Demon Lord—The God of War. It's Yusuke's demon form.

_Reikai Tantei: _The Spiritual World Detective.


	3. INTERLUDE

**INSANITY BRINK**

Lee Rin-Ri  
_[Formally known as Tori Hiei]_

_

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**_Interlude_**

Natsumi sat upon her ore in a calmly manner. Looking at her nails, she smiled sweetly when a floating ball of light flew next to her. "Oh? Is this my soul collection list?" The orb blinked. "Good. Thank you Hoshi."

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I am so so sorry guys. I found out I was pregnant in early '07 had my baby and been busy with life ever since. This story has not been forgotten but I barely have time to write nowdays so I hope you guys weren't angry. I'll try to update when I can and write what I can.

Much Love.


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